100 stringed instruments stolen from a property in Bremen, Germany

The collection, worth €150,000, includes violins, violas, cellos and viols by such luthiers as Leopold Widhalm, Emile Laurent and Emile Germain

Around 100 stringed instruments, worth €150,000 collectively, have been stolen from the home of a dealer in Bremen, Germany. The collection features violins, violas, cellos and viols from Italy, Germany, France and England, and includes instruments by Leopold Widhalm, Emile Laurent and Emile Germain.

The 28-year-old dealer, Nando Patera, who was not at home at the time of the robbery, is offering a reward of €20,000 for the instruments’ return, while the Bremen police are appealing to anyone who witnessed suspicious behaviour on the evening of 24 January to come forward. It is thought the thieves entered the property in Gröpelingen through the garden and may have needed a large vehicle to remove the stolen goods. A white van was seen parked outside the property on the day of the burglary.

‘I believe that the thieves know me and were aware that the instruments were at my home,’ Patera told The Strad. ‘But I still have very little information on the circumstances of the robbery.’

The dealer has set up a website, listing the instruments and featuring a number of pictures, and has asked that anyone with information contact him direct on +49 1739 026166 or at violin-shop@gmx.de. Alternatively, the Bremen police can be contacted on +49 421 36112114 or at pressestelle@polizei.bremen.de.